A visit by a delegation from New Zealand to India last week to inspect irradiation facilities in Maharashtra is expected to boost mango exports to the country. Senior officials of the Agricultural Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (Apeda), who accompanied the delegation, said exports to NZ could increase by 60% this year.

“The delegation was shown vapour heat treatment ( VHT) facilities in Mumbai and another private facility set up by an exporter Namdhari Exports and the team was pretty satisfied,” Dr Sudhanshu, DGM, regional head (West) Apeda, told FE.

Around 30 consignments have already been sent to NZ and by July 15, we expect larger numbers, he said. Currently, India has only one irradiation unit in Maharashtra with a processing capacity of 10-15 MT a day.

Indian exporters who wish to export mangoes to NZ have to get the fruit treated at these facilities. Irradiation has as gained significance in light of the ban imposed by the European Union on the import of Indian mangoes.

TheEU cited “significant shortcomings in the phytosanitary certification system of such products exported to the EU”. According to Sudhanshu, biggest chunk of the fruit's export is to West Asia and that the EU accounts for only a small percentage of it. "Almost 60% of export of Indian mangoes is to West Asia, followed by Southeast Asia, Canada, New Zealand and the US.”

This year, mangoes have gone to France, Germany, New Zealand, Switzerland and UK in addition to Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Singapore, UAE, Hong Kong, Dubai and Bahrain. In addition to NZ, exports to the US are also on the rise. Around 150 MT has already been sent as opposed to 281 MT for the entire season last year and we are expecting this to grow, he said.

Mango exports from India to the US are likely to increase by 42% to 400 MT this year on strong demand. Senior officials said exports are expected to pick in the coming days with arrival of different varieties of mangoes from various parts of the country. However, higher exports will depend on supply of quality UP mangoes like dasheri, langda and chounsa that will hit the market during monsoon, he said.

Mango exports to the US resumed in 2007. The fruits are exported to the US after the irradiation process, a preservation technology that can reduce